The Road Through Arkansas

Until the night before we left home, I'd planned to take the fastest route to Branson, driving straight from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Springfield, Missouri, and from there south to Branson.

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Then I realized we could drive the smaller roads that wind across the northwest corner of Arkansas and approach Branson from the south. It might take a little longer, but I'd never been in Arkansas before.

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I decided to go for it.

Who would have guessed there was so much beauty in the state that produced Bill Clinton?

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Sarah and I were both struck by the thick green forests covering the undulating hills. It was gorgeous. The highways were often one lane as we wound slowly through picturesque small towns, but it was pure pleasure.

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We agreed that it would be a wonderful place to live, if it weren't so hot and humid! But, of course, that's where the verdant beauty comes from.

Our chosen route didn't slow us down too much, after all. We left Tulsa at 11am and immediately got stuck in stop-and-go traffic, thanks to more road work (on Sunday, no less). It took 35 minutes to travel 2 miles. Even so, we crossed into Arkansas right at 1:00 and then stopped for lunch in the small town of Springdale at 1:45. We had our own balogna and cheese sandwiches, then bought cheese puffs and sodas to enjoy while we dined in a convenience store.

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The store's owner (you can see him behind the counter in the photo above) was very friendly. He gave us advice about our stay in Branson and warned us to drive below the speed limit when we passed through Huntsville because, he said, they bring in revenue by writing tickets for drivers going one mile over the speed limit.
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After a 30-minute stop, we resumed our journey and arrived in Branson at 4pm, our official check-in time. We still arrived at the time I had hoped to arrive!

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As they say, life is a journey, not a destination. Today I discovered that we really can enjoy the journey even as we anticipate the journey's end.